Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Mabel White’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Mabel White’, characterized by its compact, upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with white-colored ray florets; and excellent garden performance.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘MABEL WHITE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Mabel White’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation ofChrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Mabel Pink’, not patented. The newChrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as aflowering plant from within a population of plants of ‘Mabel Pink’ in acontrolled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium inSeptember, 2007.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetativecuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment inOostnieuwkerke, Belgium in January, 2008. Asexual reproduction bycuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemumplant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions and cultural conditions. The phenotypemay vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature,daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance ingenotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Mabel White’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Mabel White’ as a new and distinctChrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Compact, upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant        habit.    -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.    -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.    -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with white-colored ray        florets.    -   5. Excellent garden performance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from the parent, ‘MabelPink’, in ray floret color as plants of ‘Mabel Pink’ have pink-coloredray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants ofChrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Marylin’, not patented. In side-by-sidecomparisons conducted in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the newChrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘Marylin’ in the followingcharacteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more vigorous than        plants of ‘Marylin’.    -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more rounded than and        not as upright as plants of ‘Marylin’.    -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller leaves than        plants of ‘Marylin’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of thenew Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Chrysanthemum plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical floweringplant of ‘Mabel White’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers in an outdoornursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium during the summer and autumn andunder conditions and practices which approximate those generally used incommercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of theplants, day temperatures ranged from 25° C. to 30° C. and nighttemperatures ranged from 15° C. to 20° C. Plants were 20 weeks old whenthe photograph and description were taken. In the following description,color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society ColourChart, 2005 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Mabel White’.-   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of    Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Mabel Pink’, not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at            temperatures of about 20° C.        -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at            temperatures of about 20° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days            at temperatures of about 20° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days            at temperatures of about 20° C.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense.-   Plant description:    -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; compact            plant habit with stems upright and outwardly spreading            giving a uniformly rounded appearance to the plant; very            freely branching habit, about 25 primary lateral branches            develop, each primary lateral branch with multiple secondary            branches; pinching enhances lateral branch development;            dense and full plant habit; strong and vigorous growth            habit.        -   Plant height.—About 45 cm.        -   Plant width.—About 60 cm.        -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 25 cm to 30 cm. Diameter:            About 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm. Internode length: About 1.5 cm.            Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent; longitudinally ridged.            Color: Close to 137C.        -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 3.5 cm            to 5 cm. Width: About 2.5 cm to 3 cm. Apex: Rounded to            cuspidate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and            serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent to            parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly            pubescent. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to            137C. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 137D. Fully            expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N137C; venation,            close to 148C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close            to 147B; venation, close to 147B to 147C. Petiole: Length:            About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower            surfaces: Slightly pubescent and rough. Color, upper            surface: Close to 137C. Color, lower surface: Close to 137D.-   Inflorescence description:    -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form;            inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc            and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.        -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant, pungent.        -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants            flower mid-September in Belgium; flowering response time,            about five weeks.        -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color            and substance for about six weeks in an outdoor nursery;            inflorescences persistent.        -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 20 inflorescences develop            per lateral branch.        -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 1 cm.            Shape: Globular. Color: Close to 137C.        -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 5 cm. Depth (height):            About 3 cm. Disc diameter: About 3 mm. Receptacle diameter:            About 3 mm. Receptacle height: About 2.5 mm to 3 mm.            Receptacle color: Close to 144B.        -   Ray florets.—Length: About 3.5 cm to 5 cm. Width: About            5 mm. Shape: Oval. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin:            Entire. Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture, upper and lower            surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of ray florets per            inflorescence: About 150 to 200 arranged in about ten            whorls. Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close            to 155D. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to            N999D; color does not change with development.        -   Disc florets.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm to            1 mm. Shape: Tubular, elongated; apices acute. Number of            disc florets per inflorescence: About 20 massed at the            center of the inflorescence. Color, immature: Close to 145A.            Color, mature: Close to 12A.        -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 25            arranged in two or three whorls. Length: About 4 mm to 6 mm.            Width: About 2 mm to 3 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Rounded.            Base: Rounded to truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper            and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface:            Close to 137A. Color, lower surface: Close to N137B.        -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 5 cm. Length,            fourth peduncle: About 5 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About            5 cm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm. Angle: About 30° from            vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture: Slightly pubescent.            Color: Close to 137C.        -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium:            Not observed.        -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production have not been            observed.-   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to    Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under    commercial conditions.-   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have    demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate    temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C.

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Mabel White’ asillustrated and described.